What Size Instant Pot Should You Buy?

You’ve heard about the Instant Pot, but now you’re having a hard time in trying to figure out what size Instant Pot you should buy for yourself, for your family, for your children, or for whomever you’re buying an Instant Pot for. If this is you, then you’ve come to the right place!

This is perfect, since you already know what Instant Pot is.

When looking for the model you want to buy, you need to look at what you actually would like to make it in. 

Do you want to make yogurt? Maybe you’d like to make wine? Maybe you just want to toss things in, and call it a day. Don’t worry. There’s an Instant Model that’s just right for you!

Let’s start by talking about size. The size of meals you want to cook, or even the size of your family will determine what Instant Pot is the right size for you. Most come in the following sizes:

• 3 Quart
• 5 Quart (Size has been discontinued) 
• 6 Quart
• 8 Quart

The 5 quart size works well if you’re mainly cooking for one to three people. It works great for dorm rooms, and is a must have in a small apartment. Unless that description fits you, I highly recommend going with the standard 6 quart size.

The world just got introduced to the Instant Pot 3QT model not that long ago, and everyone did a HUGE Cheer! Finally, the perfect sized Instant Pot for any college student or for someone cooking for 1-2 people. Before this, everyone was trying to measure down for a 5qt and 6qt versions of the Instant Pot. The 3QT Instant Pot took the world by a small storm, and before you knew it…they were flying off the shelves. It was the answer everyone was looking for in cooking smaller meals

Then we have the 6QT Instant Pot model. This is by far the most versatile and most popular size. It’s the perfect size for when you’re cooking for a family of 4-5 people, meal prepping for when you’re on a Weight Watchers or weight loss-maintenance plan, great for making soups, desserts, yogurts (If your Instant Pot has the yogurt function). 

The 8 quart size is available in a few models and is a good fit for larger families of 5-7, Wednesday night Church dinner nights, batch cooking, and so much more. If you love planning out meals, then this is the perfect Instant Pot size that you would totally need in your life. 

Of course, Instant Pot doesn’t make anything too easy for us in trying to decide what model we want. Finding the right size is really the easiest part of the decision making process when buying an Instant Pot. 

Now we have to figure out if you want the Lux, Duo, or Smart One that comes with an App. Yep…there’s actually an app for that! Here’s a little bit of info for you to help break it down a little bit easier for you.

The Instant Pot Lux

This is the traditional Instant Pot model  that everyone will normally purchase when breaking into the world of pressure cooking. You may also hear as this one as the 6-in-1 model. It’s a pressure cooker, slow cooker, steamer, rice cooker, with sauté and keep warm functions as well for a total of six different ways of cooking. Please note that the Lux models do NOT have a yogurt function button.

The Instant Pot Duo

This is also called the 7-in-1 (and 9-in-1) and will do everything the Lux can, but is also a yogurt maker. I have the Instant Pot Duo. It’s by far my most favorite thing in the world, and I literally use it all of the time. Is it a little bit more expensive than the Lux? Yes it is; however, I feel that it’s worth it. Did I pay full Price? No way!! There are always amazing Deals and Sales going on all of the time for the different models. 

Believe it or not, you can actually find them in so many different places. People get frustrated because they don’t take the time to learn how to use the Instant Pot, so they’re ready to throw them out the door and get rid of them. They’re loss is my gain! You can grab them off Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, LetGo, Ebay, the GoodWill, and so many other hot spots. Be sure to check Walmart and Target Clearance sections! There’s normally a hot sale, and when they get new models…they get rid of the older ones! Insane, but true.

The Instant Pot Smart + app

The latest main model in the Instant Pot lineup is the Smart one. It will do everything the previous two models do and more. This is the one that you can sous vide cooking with! If you’ve ever wanted to do that style of cooking, then definitely get it. The digital interface on the pot itself and the app that connects to your instant pot, allow you to control temperature and cooking durations for your meals as you see fit. You will need an extra part part the sous vide cooking, but boy…will the food come out super amazing and flavorful!

If you love technology that comes with all of the bells and whistles in life, then this is your cup of tea! I’m okay with my DUO model. 

If you’re on a budget, go for the Lux model. If you’re a big fan of making yogurt, consider the Duo, and if your budget allows, go for the latest model with full smartphone app integration. To be perfectly honest, it’s hard to go wrong no matter what model of instant pot you choose.

Different Instant Pot Models

• Instant Pot 7-in-1, 3QT
  Has 7 functions (including yogurt), holds up to 3 quarts, great for serving 2-4 servings
• Instant Pot 10-in-1, 3QT
  Has 10 functions (includes extra settings like cake, eggs, warm and ultra), holds up to 3 quarts, great for 2-4 servings
• Instant Pot LUX50 6-in-1 5QT
  Has 6 functions (no Yogurt Making), holds up to 5 quarts, and great for serving 3-4 people. However, this model has been discontinued. Though, you should still be readily able to find this model.
• Instant Pot 6-in-1, 6QT
  Has 6 functions (no yogurt making), holds up to 6 quarts, great for serving 4-6 servings, color is black
• Instant Pot 6-in-1, 6QT, Red 
  Has 6 functions (no yogurt making), holds up to 6 quarts, great for serving 4-6 servings, color is red
• Instant Pot 6-in-1, 6QT, Blue 
  Has 6 functions (no yogurt making), holds up to 6 quarts, great for serving 4-6 servings, color is blue
• Instant Pot 7-in-1, 6QT 
  Has 7 functions (including yogurt), holds up to 6 quarts, great for serving 4-6 servings
• Instant Pot 7-in-1, 6QT with Bluetooth 
  Is the exact same as Instant Pot 7-in-1, 6QT, BUT it has bluetooth connectivity
• Instant Pot 9-in-1, 6QT 
  Has 9 functions (the same as 7-in-1 6QT plus cake and eggs), holds up to 6 quarts, great for serving 4-6 servings
• Instant Pot 10-in-1, 6QT, Ultra
  Has 10 functions (includes extra settings like cake, eggs, warm and ultra), holds up to 3 quarts, great for 2-4 servings
• Instant Pot 7-in-1, 8QT 
  Has 7 functions, holds up to 8 quarts, great for serving 8-12 servings *In 2017, it was $90, down from $130. That was the best price we’ve seen, though we did see a better deal around Black Friday.
• Instant Pot 10-in-1, 8QT, Ultra 
  Has 10 functions (includes extra settings like cake, eggs, warm and ultra), holds up to 8 quarts, great for 8-12 servings

Hopefully, I was able to answer your questions of what size Instant Pot you should buy, or maybe I made things a little more difficult because of how many options per size that they have. My personal recommendation is to go with the Instant Pot 6qt Duo 9 in 1 or 7 in 1. It’ll do everything you need for your family, for your batch cooking, or any type of meal you would like to prepare.

• How To Clean Your Instant Pot
• Weight Watchers Instant Pot Recipes
• What’s an Instant Pot?
• Instant Pot Recipes You Need to Make